Taiwan - Chenjean's Village

This is the little village where my wife grew up...a town of 200-300.  Her house is just to the right of the betel tree, directly across from the temple.  I jokingly refer to the cluster of houses to the left of the frame as the suburbs.  The town in the background, flanked by low clouds, is where she attended elementary school.  She and her twin sister would walk the distance both ways each day, rain (which it did a lot) or shine (not as much).

My father-in-law raised his brood of six here from the time Chenjean was in about the second grade.  As a doctor he made house calls, walking up and down the roads and trails of this mountain until he retired.  For that reason he's a remarkably healthy individual, even today at age 86.  Did a hundred pushups a day up until he was 80.  I'll never forget the time we were in Taipei (back in '01), and, after having gone somewhere, he decided to walk back to my brother-in-law's house.  Trouble was, there was a group of us with him and it was a long way.

After walking about two miles we were all exhausted, but he kept plodding along, waiting at intersections until we caught up.  Finally I had to carry my daughter Allison, who was about five at the time.  An hour or two later we made it, Chenjean's dad being none the worse for wear...